


Among Us Hide...

by Doc_Cairo



Series: The Hybrid-verse [4]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Divergent as of "Kevin Party", F/F, F/M, Gen, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-14 04:19:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12999705
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doc_Cairo/pseuds/Doc_Cairo
Summary: Six months later, Steven Universe was captured by and subsequently escaped from Homeworld. Now nothing is the same.Six months later Zeke Strahm has remained on the run from MOHS. He's been trying his best to help, but getting nowhere fast.Six months later, Pyrite has been abandoned to die on Earth by her diamond, the Hybrid Project deemed a failure. Which means she no longer has anything left to lose.





	Among Us Hide...

**Author's Note:**

> Hello readers! It's been more than a year since the conclusion of "Three Dead, One Missing" in real time, but I'm finally back on the horse to bring you the continuation.
> 
> If you haven't read the other stories, 3D1M or Hybrid, this will probably be confusing, but I'm trying to keep this story accessible. I'm going to try to get a "previously on" thing written up soon.
> 
> Now some quick minutia:
> 
> \- This fic begins on the same night that "Kevin Party" takes place in the canon, and diverges from there.  
> \- This fic again features Detective Zeke Strahm, a character not of my creation, but used with permission by his creator.  
> \- There is an in-character tumblr blog for Zeke. It's not necessary to follow, but will having some extra supplement/side-story stuff as the story progresses. Zeke may even take questions later.  
> https://iamthemystic.tumblr.com/  
> \- Lastly, while this fic does focus on the hybrids concept begun in 3D1M, this will be a much more Steven and the gems focused story. 
> 
> Alright, enough preface. I hope you enjoy.

“I told you we’d find you Zeke.”

 

Zeke knelt, hands bound behind his back as stoic men in suits pointed guns at him. Shot point blank. By international agents. In a motel in rural Italy. Not how he pictured going out.  Isaac Gates, the MOHS agent he’d grown a healthy disdain for, grinned at him.

“Uh huh.” The detective said disinterestedly. He’d heard this speech before, and couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

“The only chance for you to save your life…”

“Is to tell you about the hybrids and the Crystal Gems and yada yada yada… will ya shoot me already?” He looked pleadingly at the gunman to his left.

“Zeke…” Isaac cleaned his sunglasses on his orange tie. “I don’t think you understand the gravity of the situ-”

“What I understand-” Zeke cut him off. “Is that when I wake up I’ll…” He glanced at the alarm clock on the motel nightstand, noting the time. “... have about fourteen hours to make myself scarce. And then in two or three weeks we’ll do this whole routine again.”

“They really screwed with your brain didn’t they?”

“Fourteen hours… lots of time to spare this time. I can even have breakfast.” Isaac stared at him in confusion. Zeke sighed. Usually they’d have killed him by now. It was gonna suck but time for Plan B.

 

He blew a raspberry at Isaac, then bit down hard on his tongue.

 

Zeke shot up from the bed, grimacing and working through the pain of biting his tongue in his sleep. He sat in the exact same room… but alone. And at 3AM. He reached into the ice bucket on the nightstand and shoved a few cubes in his mouth to numb the pain. He stumbled towards the bathroom.   A quick check in the mirror showed his bite had not drawn blood. Better than the last time anyway. Also reflected in the mirror: the jagged blue stone embedded just above his rib cage. He ran his fingers over the outline.

 

“Thanks for the heads up.” He said.

 

This was the eighth time in six months he’d had such a dream. Or rather, a vision.

 

The partial consciousness of the Sapphire had never spoken to him since this began. But she was quite obviously invested in his… or rather their, survival. Every time a threat was going to appear, he got at least a few hours notice. He decided to step into the shower… get an early start to his escape, even if he did have a large window to work with.

“Howdy.” The intruder waved from her seat near the door when Zeke stepped back out. The door now off its hinges. Her expression was unreadable behind the visor. “Your door is broken.”

“Garnet, right?” Zeke was surprised to see the gem. They’d only met and interacted for all of half an hour, and part of that was in a vision to begin with. He hadn’t seen her or any other gem since he’d gone on the run.

“You're up early.”

“I was expecting worse company later.”

“I know.”

“Course you do.” Zeke sat on the bed and started pulling socks on. “So I’m guessing this isn’t a social call.”

“No. I’m here to warn you. Something very bad is about to happen.”

“Specific.” Zeke joked. “Is it something besides a visit from MOHS housekeeping?”

 

“I can’t see it in full. It’s too big. Too many variables. I just know how it starts.” She sounded concerned. “I’ve learned that the gem behind the hybrids is named Pyrite. And in eight hours she is going to broadcast the existence of Gems and Hybrids to the entire world. I don’t know why. And I don’t know how the humans will react.”

“Badly.” Zeke assumed. He couldn’t imagine any first contact scenario that would go well.

“This world is about to become more dangerous for you. But the other Hybrids like you will need your help more than ever. Mystic.” Garnet tossed Zeke a phone. “It’s been modified with gemtech to use the cellular network without a trace. Our contacts are in there.”

 

“I’ll keep more in touch then.” Zeke swiped open the phone menu, feeling weirdly giddy. He hadn’t had a phone of his own since going on the run. Behind familiar icons he spotted the background image. “Why does it have a  _ Camp Pining Hearts  _ wallpaper?”

“It doesn’t matter.” She said casually before walking out the door. As she disappeared into the night, Zeke started packing his meager belongings, so he could vanish before daylight came and someone questioned him about the door.

* * *

 

Steven felt like the weight of the world had lifted. Yes, Lars was now pink and in space. Yes, the diamonds would be a continued threat. Yes… things were changing in Beach City… but tonight he was putting all that aside. Because after all the uncertainty…

He still had Connie.

Lion left him at the foot of the stairs. Steven skipped the stairs with a jump and a float, sliding off his sandals as he opened the door. Both Amethyst and Peridot were sitting in the living room around the table, looking concerned. Amethyst was concerned and staring at the floor, while Peridot was concerned and staring at her tablet. He’d certainly vented his concerns with them before he left for the party, but he didn’t think they’d be sitting here waiting for him.

“You guys, I did it!” Steven told them enthusiastically. “I talked to Connie and we worked things out and everything’s fine!” Amethyst cracked a smile.

“That’s great Ste-man.” She said genuinely, but not with the enthusiasm Steven had been expecting. She must have read the look on his face because before he could add anything, she continued. “Uh… sit down for a minute. Emergency shorty squad meeting.” She gestured at the seat between her and Peridot.

“Um… ok…” Steven slid past her, concerned with her uncharacteristic seriousness.

 

“So look… I’m really not the one who should be telling you this, but Pearl and Garnet are busy so…” Amethyst started uncomfortably. “Peri’s gonna help, right?” She leaned in to the table and shot Peridot an expectant look. Peridot set the tablet on the table, cleared her throat, and cupped her hands 

“We are at imminent risk of exposure.” She said succinctly.

“Huh?”

“According to Garnet’s vision, the existence of Gems and gem-hybrids like yourself, is about to be exposed to the world.” Peridot explained.

“Wait… was it supposed to be a secret?” Steven asked.

“Duh.” Amethyst said. “I mean, it’s no big deal around here because everyone knows us and doesn’t really care.” Amethyst said. “But Pearl and Garnet put in a lot of work over the years to make sure the rest of the world doesn’t know.”

“But why?”

“Because humans are a fearful species prone to mob mentality and overreaction.” Peridot said. “New as I am to this planet, even I see the patterns in the culture that would make people hostile towards us.  _ Battle of Planets _ ,  _ Markings _ ,  _ Indecision Day, Far Encounters of the Eighth Kind…”  _ she listed many of the “alien invasion” movies she’d watched.

“I’m sure there are people who would be chill with us being here, but there’s a lot who wouldn’t.” Amethyst said. “This is really bad.”

“So wait, what exactly is gonna happen?” Steven took all this in. I mean… it made sense to him, but he’d never had to think about it before.

 

“Ok, so first off…” Amethyst prefaced. “Don’t get mad at me. Pearl, Peri and I just found out about all this tonight.” She knew yet another secret was just the sort of thing to set Steven off right now.

“Go on.” Steven said with slight suspicion, noting Garnet’s absence from that list.

“So… besides those clods that kidnapped you,” Peridot began, “There’s been another team of Homeworld gems operating on Earth for months now. And they’ve been experimenting to create human-gem hybrids. Like you.”

“Like me?” Steven said, stunned.

“Yes. They sent a Pyrite and we don’t how many she’s tried to make, but we at least know some of them are viable.” Peridot said.

“See… she doesn’t know what sex-”

“She doesn’t understand human procreation.” Peridot cut her off.

“Yeah. She don’t know how babby formed.” Amethyst tried to lighten the mood.

“Such methods would be abhorrent and inefficient to her, so instead the experiments have been presumably more… Frankensteinian.”

“Like… the experiments from the kindergarten… but people?”

“Precisely.”

 

Steven felt sick. This was a lot to take in and that last thought was particularly disturbing.

“Garnet can’t figure out why, but this Pyrite is going to transmit a message to the world, telling them all about gems and making us look like bad guys.” Amethyst explained.

“Well then can’t we stop her?”

“If we could find her.” Peridot said. “Pyrites are high ranking science officers, I’m certain she’ll have taken all sorts of preventive measures. I’m going to try to trace the broadcast when it happens but the damage will be done.”

 

“So what do we do then?” Steven demanded, flustered.

“We just gotta get ready.” Amethyst shrugged. “You should probably go warn Connie and her family. Peri and I are gonna fill in the rest of the town. Pearl went to warn your dad, and then…”

* * *

 

Sheena was awoken by a rock hitting her window. And then another. Someone was throwing pebbles at her window.

She stepped away from her computer and slid back the curtains to view a familiar sight below. The figure below smiled as she slid the window up.

 

“I gave you my number for a reason.” She said coyly.

“Oh “ Pearl paused. “I thought this was how it was done. Like in movies?” Sheena couldn’t see it in the dark but she was sure Pearl was blushing. She chuckled in response.

“I’ll be down in a minute.”

“No no, I’ll come up there. Just step away from the window.” Pearl told her before backing up slightly. Sheena grinned. She seemed dedicated to this bit, the whole ‘romantic ascent to the balcony’ shtick. She’d play along. But rather than climb to the window, Pearl jumped through it with an acrobatic twirl, her slender form like an arrow through the gap.

 

“Leap any tall buildings in a single bound lately?” Sheena joked before they embraced.

“Not this week anyway.” Pearl told her, before they shared a brief kiss. But during it she could tell something was wrong.

“So what brings my lovely alien girlfriend through my window at…” she glanced at the clock. “3 AM?”

“Well…” Pearl hesitated. “Let’s get you some coffee first. What I need to talk to you about is…important.”

* * *

“My diamond…” Pyrite knelt before the holoscreen; which currently blocked the view of the Earth through the main window of the Era 1 Diamond moon base. “I beg your forgiveness. I know things aren’t going quite as planned…”

“That is a tremendous understatement.”

“Bu-but with a little more time…”

“No. You’ve had cycles and every subject you’ve managed to produce is still inferior to even the simplest gem.”

“What they lack in power they have strategic…”

“You have failed me, and I have more pressing concerns.” Yellow Diamond turned away. “Pearl, finish up for me.”

 

Pyrite slumped on the floor defeated as Yellow Pearl entered the frame as Yellow Diamond left the room.

“Pearl… what’s next for me?” She asked hesitantly. Pyrite knew her. They had actually spent months on Earth together before she and Ruby had been emergency recalled.

“I’m afraid you’re on your own.” Pearl told her. “She’s still livid about Rose Quartz remaining at large. Ruby’s intel about Rose Quartz becoming a human hybrid seemed correct…”

“Then… the fundamental premise of the project holds true! Why is she…”

“Our Diamond does not wish for Blue Diamond to learn what we’ve done.”

 

Oh. So that was it. All her work… and now her life… forfeit in the name of the diamond’s.personal politics.

 

“You are free to remain on Earth until the emergence of the cluster.”

“And then I break with the rest of the planet.” Pyrite stated. The cluster was still a wild card. It could be 2 weeks or 20 cycles, there wasn’t enough data to know.

“Sorry.” Pearl told her.

“Yeah… me too. Goodbye Pearl.” The feed cut out.

 

She must be cracked. A good gem would remain loyal and accept their disgrace and imminent death with dignity. But that was not at all what she was thinking. She was free to remain on Earth. The experiment didn’t have to stop. In a way… perhaps it could be expanded.

She would dare to prove her diamond wrong. Her creations… no, her intellect, would succeed where homeworld's armies had failed.

She would destroy the Crystal Gems. Not just physically… but their very ideology.

The plotting began...


End file.
